Megestrol Acetate Increases the Proliferation, Migration, and Adipogenic Differentiation of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells via Glucocorticoid Receptor

The study conducted on May 13, 2015, demonstrated that megestrol acetate (MA) significantly enhances the proliferation, migration, and adipogenic differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) in a dose-dependent manner, mediated by the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). The GR was phosphorylated following MA treatment, and the expression of GR-related genes was upregulated. The effects of MA were mitigated by the use of RU486, a GR inhibitor, and by silencing GR with siRNA, confirming GR's role in these processes. Although MA was less potent than dexamethasone in promoting adipogenic differentiation, it still had a notable mitogenic effect on ASCs. The findings suggest that MA could be used to improve the production and differentiation of ASCs for regenerative purposes. The study's results were based on triplicate independent experiments and were deemed statistically significant with p-values of <.05 or <.01.